Delta bumps us off flight from Vancouver

[inkmahm]

 

Inkmahn: You can always go to an airline's website (or call them) to find out, or change, your seat assignments. If you do not have your confirmation number, you can find it as long as you know the credit card number that you booked the reservation with. Tell your in-laws not to worry. Even if they don't get their seats until the day of travel, chances are very good that they will be seated together. (I used to work for NWA.)

 

Linda

Even if booked through a site like Expedia or Orbitz? I can call NWA direct to book seats?

[mdeane]

I booked straight with Delta Airlines so I could especially choose the seats I wanted for all legs.......little good that did. I am not flying FF miles either so whether you pay or not it does not seem to matter. They will just dump you where they want you to sit. Not much consideration. We had such wonderful experience with Delta to Istanbul and the Med. but I will certainly have second thoughts now. I moved to Delta from American. Maybe I will bounce back again.

[Linda in MI]

Mdeane: If you already booked your seats, I don't understand why Delta changed them? Perhaps they have switched to a different series of the same type of aircraft. For example, there are several different 757s, and some have fewer rows than others. That is the only reason I can think of for them to change your seats without asking you.

 

Inkmahm: Unless things have changed, NWA does not care where you make your reservation. Just check the website or call them to ask about your seats. The only thing you will need is your NWA confirmation number, which may be different than the one given to you by Orbitz or Expedia. It is easy to get your NWA confimation number. Call them if you have questions.

 

It is also possible to change your seats on the day of the flight. My husband travels a lot for business, and frequently switches seats at the airport - especially if he wants an aisle seat, but was only able to reserve a window or middle ahead of time. Often, the seats that they save for their "gold" or "elite" frequent flyers go unused, so those seats (usually near the front) become available on your day of travel.

 

Linda

[pshaze]

Delta DOES use US direct in Vancouver. I did it myself 3 years ago. Perhaps it was RCCL that didn't participate? If you read the website, it definitely says Delta is a participant. And in order to use it you do have to have bought the bus transfer. Glad you made it without using US Direct. They just take you to a different, supposedly shorter line, customs area for US Direct. The other ship that was with us was HAL's Statendam, so i can't corroborate RCCL.

 

Just a FYI

 

According the the port website Delta is not on the participation list

 

http://www.portvancouver.com/vanAlaCruise/content/travelAgents/usDirect.html

 

US Direct Program for Alaska Cruise Ship Passengers

 

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA), cruise lines and the Vancouver International Airport Authority (YVR) have launched a successful "Onboard Check-in” and “U.S Direct" strategic initiative that streamlines Alaska cruise ship passenger processing and improves transit times between the Port and Airport.

The US Direct initiative allows passengers arriving at YVR to transfer directly to a same-day-departing cruise ship by participating in expedited immigration and customs clearance process.

The Onboard Check-in initiative allows passengers arriving on a cruise ship and flying out of YVR on the same day to transfer directly to YVR by participating in an expedited immigration and customs clearance process.

The Onboard Check-in and US Direct initiatives do not apply to passengers who are planning a pre or post stay in Vancouver.

Features and Benefits

• Sterile and secure passenger and baggage transfer between the Port and Airport.
  
• Embarking passengers - baggage transferred direct from the plane to your ship.
  
• Disembarking passengers – baggage transferred to ‘final’ airport destination.
  
• Significantly reduced wait times and congestion for departing and arriving passengers.
  
• Expedited U.S / Canadian immigration and customs process.
  
• Works in conjunction with a cruise line pre-purchased bus transfer to airport / ship.
  
• 100% security screening for all passengers and baggage in a designated area for participants only.

Program participants

 

Cruise Lines

• Carnival Cruise Lines
  
• Celebrity Cruises
  
• Holland America Line
  
• Norwegian Cruise Line
  
• Princess Cruises
  
• Royal Caribbean

Airlines

• Air Canada/Jazz
  
• Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air
  
• American Airlines
  
• Northwest Airlines
  
• United Airline
  
• U.S. Airways

From the airport to the port (embarking passengers), in addition to the above airlines, Continental, Delta, Frontier and SkyWest also participate in the program.

Eligibility

 

Passengers are eligible to participate in the Onboard Check-in program if they meet the following criteria:

Port to Airport - disembarking in Vacouver

1. Travelling with a valid U.S. Passport and/or valid U.S. Permanent Resident Card.
   
2. Arriving on a cruise ship direct from a U.S. port.
   
3. Have a flight direct to the U.S.A, same day as disembarking the ship.
   
4. Have purchased onboard the ship or with cruise booking the Onboard Check-in program.
   
5. In possession of cruise line bus transfer to Vancouver International Airport.

[Budget Queen]

We were on the Serenade of the Seas last week and purchased bus transfers to the airport. Our Delta flight was 11:45 and we intended to purchase the US Direct. We were told on the cruise that Delta does not participate in US Direct from Vancouver. We just used the bus transfer and were at the airport in plenty of time for our flight. We were off the ship by 8:15. Enjoy your cruise.

 

Were you in customs lines at Vancouver airport??

 

Unfortunately, your one experience is not the given. There can be signficant lines delays, and waits at Vancouver. I happened to hit 2 1/2 hours in lines there 7/07.

[Budget Queen]

ESPECIALLY for frequent flyer tickets. My husband and I both used miles to get to a little airport in NY for Memorial Day weekend flying through Detroit. The plane was overbooked from Detroit to Elmira and NW bumped the frequent flyer people first saying they were the "lowest class tickets." Since there were only two such seats on the plane and we had both of them, we were out of luck. Then someone didn't show up for the plane in time and we were seated in our original seats for the flight, so we still got to our location.

 

From that trip I learned never to have both of us fly on frequent flyer tickets at the same time. The NW worker was going to bump me first and when I complained that my husband would be flying on without me, she told me to go ahead and board the plane, she'd bump someone else. Then when my husband tried to board behind me, of course HE was the one she had bumped instead (we have different last names.) Also, I'll never use a frequent flyer ticket for a trip where I HAVE to be somewhere, like a trip to a cruise where I don't want to miss the ship. It is just too risky these days.

 

Far better would have been for you to have considered, Rochester, Binghamton or Syracuse. These dinky small airports, like Elmira, first off fly small prop planes usually and have an extremely limited schedule.

[LisaH]

Jill, as soon as you board your ship starting asking about US Direct and book it as soon as you can. No one has figured out what the secret to success is. If you bag it, please post so others can follow your lead.

 

The one thing we do know is that there is a finite number of seats on the US Direct buses. No one knows how many buses each ship gets.

 

Good luck!

 

I agree with PennyAgain 100%. On our Alaska cruise last year we did not realize you had to ask about US Direct, we "assumed" we would be given info once on board but it did not happen. So we missed out on it this time but we had a 1:40 flight and we were okay. I will say that if you have a flight before noon - it will be very close. Ask about it AS SOON AS YOU GET ON THE SHIP if possible.

 

When we got the the airport in Vancouver, we had to wait about 45 minutes for our luggage to arrive from the ship in order to go through customs. Then it was another hour to get through check-in, immigration, etc.

[inkmahm]

Far better would have been for you to have considered, Rochester, Binghamton or Syracuse. These dinky small airports, like Elmira, first off fly small prop planes usually and have an extremely limited schedule.

We were on a jet, 50 persons I think. And we were only there for a weekend, staying in Corning. Elmira made the most sense. The problem was Northwest overbooking the flight!

[Suzanne123]

-- Just called Princess to arrange EZ Check (per page 11 in the Cruise Answer Book)for our flight out of Vancouver after our SB Sapphire Princess cruise (July 5 -12). The agent on the phone told me that Princess is not offering EZ check for that cruise. Is EZ check only available on certain cruises? She seemed familiar with the program, but didn't even ask what airline I had -- just said it's not offered on that cruise. Anyone actually book this service for July 12th?

Thanks.

[wrp96]

You can't prebook the EZ Check for the flight home. You have to sign up for it on the ship.

[flashdog_1]

Well all, I apologize for thinking Delta still did US Direct since I did it 3 years ago.

 

Thinking that that was going to be my route, I now have to gather more information. We bought the ship's transfers to the airport thinking we'd use US Direct.

 

But since that's not available, I assume we'll have to collect our luggage from the ship's hangar, get it to the bus, and remove it from the bus and take it indoors to check in at the airport, since it's an international flight for which they don't allow you to do curb side checkin (or maybe that's just FROM the states). Will someone pls tell me if this is so, and there are no shortcuts?

 

If that is so, then using the internet on board to get a boarding pass will not really expedite the experience, will it? We'll still have to stand in a ticket line (or a kiosk line?) to check the luggage. Fortunately our sky miles gave us first class for our return, since there were no coach seats available. if I have to stand in a line, it will be a shorter one, I hope, because of that.

 

I am also one of the people with an 11:30 flt to Atlanta and am now worried. When we did US direct we had about an hour and a half to spare in the terminal. Now it sounds like it will be iffy. Help!

[UF G8R]

My US Direct experience on June 9 departing from Vancouver

When I first boarded the Coral Princess on June 2 in Whittier, my first stop was to the Customer service desk to sign up for US Direct as had been suggested on this board. Early sign up was suggested as it seemed that the total number of seats on this program was limited and it was first come-first served.

The attendant at the desk was unfamiliar with the term US Direct. When I described the program he asked if we had signed up for a princess transfer from the ship to the YVR (yes) and if we had signed up for the luggage program, EZ Check (no). It costs 15$ per person and provides your boarding passes and airline luggage tags to your stateroom the night before you disembark. They take your luggage and the next time you see it is at your home airport. We had not signed up for this but the chance to get our boarding passes printed ahead of time alone was worth the cost for us so we were eager to sign up. It seems that on Princess, these two programs together, the princess transfer and the EZ Check constitute the US direct program.

In the morning we docked as scheduled at 7:30 AM. We went to our assigned gathering spot (Sabatinis) and waited until we were called at 8:30. We boarded a bus and traveled to the airport. We still needed the immigration/customs cards; you know the ones that you sign swearing that you are not bringing apples, gold bullion, farm animals or heroin into the US. We showed our passports to Canadian authorities and to US authorities several times, and went through airport security. We ended up in an area of the airport that was closed off from the rest of the airport and had only flights departing to the US. The traffic through Vancouver was quite heavy (rush hour Monday morning) and I didn’t note what time we got to the airport, but when we got to the terminal, the 11 AM flights to the US were just calling the first passengers to board. Our flight was delayed from 2:05 to 2:55 PM so we had plenty of time to kill.

We changed planes in Chicago and sadly, our baggage didn’t make it to Atlanta with us. However, it was a United Airlines problem and not a Princess or EZ Check problem. Our baggage didn’t make it out of Chicago. They couriered it to our home and we had it by 3 PM the next day. On our outbound flights, I was very careful to carry on my valuables and everything that I needed so that we would be comfortable for 48 hours should our baggage go astray. Somehow, I wasn’t thinking clearly on the way home and packed our camera in our checked bags. If we had permanently lost our bags, losing all our photos would have been especially painful.

I had one major complaint with the program and that was with the Princess side. I have written to Princess Customer service and time will tell how they decide to handle it. The bag tags and boarding passes are sent from the airlines to the ship via satellite. Well there was a satellite problem somewhere along the line after about 70% of the materials were received on our ship and ours was in the 30% not received. We didn’t get our materials until near midnight after being told that we had to have our bags out by 10 PM. I spent our last evening on board pacing the room and going back and forth to the customer service desk. My complaint was not that the tags were late; that was outside of anyone’s control. My complaint is that the ship’s staff failed to give me accurate information and keep me informed about what was happening.

That was the only problem that we had for the whole trip. Everything else was smooth as satin.

[Suzanne123]

"You can't prebook the EZ Check for the flight home. You have to sign up for it on the ship."

 

That may be true, but the Cruise Answer Book states "To reserve this service in advance of your cruise, contact your Travel Agent or call 1-800-PRINCESS."

 

-- Wouldn't be the first time I got bad info from a Princess brochure! :)

[flashdog_1]

One more correction. From reading the cruise critic boards I learned today that instead of using US Direct (in which Delta is not listed) from ship to airport, there is now a program called "On-Board Check in Program" which is identical to the old term US Direct which we used in 2005, AND, in which Delta DOES participate.

 

Same deal. You must be a US citizen traveling straight to the US the same day your ship docks, with a confirmed reservation. You buy the ship's transfer to the airport ahead of time (or it can be done on board, but you're more secure doing it thru your travel agency or the cruiseline before you sail in case seats are limited). Then when you are on board you buy the "On-Board Check in Program." Participating cruiselines: Carnival, Celebrity, HAL, NCL, Princess, RCI. Participating airlines: Air Canada, Alaska, Delta, Horizon, NW, United.

 

And this program also allows for people who booked their air with the cruiseline, and for "Independents" who've booked their own transportation to the airport!!

 

The web link is http://www.yvr.ca/guide/around/onboard/?id=0#work

[seychellesdream]

Is "On-Board Check in Program" or like program only if your final disembarkment is at a non-US port ?

 

Our cruise departs from and returns to Seattle, but will be stopping in Victoria. Since we will be in Canada for all of 6 hrs, do we still need to go through customs when we return to Seattle ?

 

eta: I booked our tickets with FF miles on Delta around mid March for an early July cruise. Our Seattle departure time changed once (for the better) and I was informed via email. I check regularly anyway. Hopefully there were be no more changes and we will have the seats I selected.

[flashdog_1]

Is "On-Board Check in Program" or like program only if your final disembarkment is at a non-US port ?

 

Our cruise departs from and returns to Seattle, but will be stopping in Victoria. Since we will be in Canada for all of 6 hrs, do we still need to go through customs when we return to Seattle ?

 

eta: I booked our tickets with FF miles on Delta around mid March for an early July cruise. Our Seattle departure time changed once (for the better) and I was informed via email. I check regularly anyway. Hopefully there were be no more changes and we will have the seats I selected.

 

US Direct, and "On-Board Check in Program" are exclusive to Vancouver, so will not be applicable for Seattle unless and until Seattle makes its own special provision for moving cruise passengers. Oh, and the Dept of Agriculture is looking for fruits and meats that they will confiscate unless the products are in cans that cannot have been opened.

 

As for going from Seattle to Victoria and back, you are crossing international borders, and as far as I know in my world travels, there are no exceptions to bypassing customs (I know you read about it in spy books but don't know if the very wealthy on the corporate jet actually can skip customs). And it's not just customs per se, but the immigration part of that federal department that they are checking. Customs is checking for smuggled items and immigration is looking for criminals.

[seychellesdream]

flashdog_1, what I meant was that our cruise has a stop in Victoria on the way back to Seattle. Since we stop in Canada, so we need to go through customs/immigration at some point ? Don't know if that is more clear.

[sierrasmom]

On the return trip coming back from Anchorage to Alaska they separated me my husband and daughter .Well we told them because she was not sitting by herself and they put me and her together and left him away from us well she got upset and these two guys next to us asked what was wrong with her and I told them they gave us there three seats and they took our two so we could sit together plus our fight was delayed .Watch them they will change your seats and you will not know it till you get to the airport .

[wrp96]

flashdog_1, what I meant was that our cruise has a stop in Victoria on the way back to Seattle. Since we stop in Canada, so we need to go through customs/immigration at some point ? Don't know if that is more clear.

 

 

Yes, you will have to go through immigrations and customs in Seattle.

[seychellesdream]

Yes, you will have to go through immigrations and customs in Seattle.

 

Thanks for the info.

[inkmahm]

 

Inkmahn: You can always go to an airline's website (or call them) to find out, or change, your seat assignments. If you do not have your confirmation number, you can find it as long as you know the credit card number that you booked the reservation with. Tell your in-laws not to worry. Even if they don't get their seats until the day of travel, chances are very good that they will be seated together. (I used to work for NWA.)

 

Linda

Thank you! I had to find this thread again to say "thanks" for the advice. I finally got around to trying it today and I was able to book our seats on the one flight that had been prebooked for us on alaska/Horizon as well as book all of them for my inlaws on NW/United/usAir (I had purchased their tickets through Orbitz.) I feel much better now that we have assigned seats that aren't horrible! This was a GREAT tip to learn, I never knew it was possible.

[salty dingo]

Yes, they can change schedules. I would not call this being "bumped" - that is when they oversell the seats, and it only happens at the gate.

 

We had a schedule change on our return flight from Seattle. The time was changed so early that we would not be able to make the flight. We had to book a room and fly back the next day. Not too bad, since we get an extra day of vacation now!

 

The airline should offer to change your ticket without charge to any other available flight of your choice. This can work well if, for example, you had an inconvenient flight to begin with, you can change it to a better one for free!

 

No, there is no chance you will get compensated for the cost of the hotel room if you have to spend the night.

[Skyglider]

In Jan 2008, I booked our May 2008 Delta RT flight using skymiles and reserved a good window seat + adjacent seat. My DW had her own skymiles and I had my own so bookings were separate but seats were reserved as together.

 

In Mar 2008 I discovered that our "to" flight numbers and times were changed and our seats were separate and not window seats. Times were close so that was OK but I was unable to change the reserved seats to be together. So I called Delta and the agent fixed it for us. I printed out the new flight number and seat assignments for our records.

 

I kept checking periodically till our trip and the second arrangement remained the same.

 

When we checked in at the airport, the new booking number would not work in the self check in machine. *****The ticket agent helped us and guess what? Our original booking number and flight number and seats were the valid ones. What?????***** All of that time and stress for nothing! I have no clue what happened and the ticket agent had no explanation either. I had printouts to verify what happened.

 

----------

 

Anyway, on another subject. I think it will be SUPER IMPORTANT to get to the airports 2 hours minimum but preferably 2.5 hours prior to departure time from now on. If you read the airlines contract, it flat out states that flights are overbooked and it gives the procedures on how bumped passengers will be handled. This is a contract that you agree to when you buy your tickets!

 

So by checking in 2.5 hours prior to departure and being one of the first to check in, you can avoid being bumped from your flights... hopefully:rolleyes:. I don't think it will be a good idea to book flight times coming home close to disembarkation times. Suggest being sure that you can get to the airport at least 2 hrs prior to flight departure. Reduced flights and over bookings will be the way of the future from now on.

 

Skyglider

[Bassnote_1]

As posted on the Cruise Air board, your Saturday flight-SLC/CLT-has been taken off the schedule. You were not "bumped". There simply is no original flight to fly.

 

You can either stay overnight in YVR, take a chance on the 11:45AM flight or spend the day in SLC, leaving on the red eye to CLT and getting home on Sunday.

 

ALL airlines change flight schedules. And it will get CONSIDERABLY worse in the near future until capacity is cut enough to make the airline profitable again.

 

I'd rather spend the day in SLC, myself. Historical places to visit, pretty to look at, good resturants/shopping.

[inkmahm]

 

...

So by checking in 2.5 hours prior to departure and being one of the first to check in, you can avoid being bumped from your flights... hopefully:rolleyes:.

Skyglider

Not always. I wish it were that easy to avoid being bumped. As I said earlier, Northwest out of Detroit bumped based on the level of ticket you purchased. Since both DH and I were flying on free tickets using our NW miles, we were number 1 and number 2 for being bumped. We only got on our flight because someone else showed up at the gate (if they showed up at all ) late.